Welcome to the Not Old Better Show, I'm Paul Vogel Singh and this is episode number

428. As part of our Smithsonian Associates Art of Living Interview Series, our guest today is Alan Gannett.

Alan Gannett is the founder and CEO of TrackMaven, a software analytics firm, and now serves as chief strategy officer at Skyward, a global marketing platform.

And his new book, The Creative Curve, How to Develop the Right Idea at the Right Time, is the subject of our conversation today and his upcoming Smithsonian Associates presentation titled The Creative Curve Unplugging the myth of the light bulb moment.

Check out our website for links and ticket details.

Many in our not-old-better show Smithsonian Associates audience

are focused on their second act career wise and

professionally looking for the spark to write a hit screenplay or book or design an effective

marketing campaign or start a successful company.

The key, according to our guest today, technology entrepreneur Alan Gannett, is not to wait until

that proverbial light bulb flashes on during a moment of inspiration.

Instead, as Alan Gannett will tell us based on recent psychological research, which indicates

that there is a predictable science behind success in creative endeavors.

Alan Gannett calls it the creative curve, the point of optimal tension between the novel and the familiar.

Alan Gannett joins us today to examine the stories in his new book, The Creative

Curve of Innovators, including the Broadway team that developed Dear Evan Hanson,

the founder of Reddit, the chief operating officer of

Netflix, and Michelin-starred chefs to identify the common patterns behind their achievements.

Their examples and lessons, says Alan Gannett, demonstrate that the ability

to generate and develop creative ideas is not just the province of so-called

geniuses but within the reach of everyone.

Please join me in welcoming to the Not Old Better Show Smithsonian Associates author interview

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